Good morning Mets fans! The New York Mets (20-22) dropped the rubber game in their series with the Washington Nationals (18-25) after losing 7-6 on Thursday afternoon. They now head to Miami where they seek their sixth consecutive win against the Miami Marlins (10-31) in 2019, and their eighth in a row dating back to 2018.
Latest Mets News
Jacob deGrom (3-4, 3.26 ERA) will look to continue his stretch of solid pitching on Friday evening as he takes the mound against Trevor Richards (0-5, 4.46 ERA) and the Marlins. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. EDT and coverage will be on SNY, WCBS 880 and ESPN 1050.
Michael Conforto left Thursday’s game after a collision with Robinson Cano and was diagnosed with a concussion.
Jeff McNeil left Thursday’s game with an abdominal strain.
Carlos Gomez was removed in the seventh inning of the Syracuse Mets game. With Conforto likely heading to the 7-day concussion list, Gomez’s contract will be selected from the Mets and he will meet the Mets in Miami ahead of Friday’s game.
Steven Matz is scheduled to return from the injured list to start Saturday’s game against the Marlins, per Matt Ehalt of Yahoo Sports.
Greg Joyce of the New York Post wrote a piece on Keon Broxton who expressed his frustration to reporters following Thursday’s game in regards to his limited playing time.
Hannah Keyser of Yahoo Sports wrote a story on the NYIT DII baseball program which won its first NCAA Tournament game in 39 years after ex-Met beat reporter Adam Rubin hired former major leaguer Frank Catalanotto to coach the team and inject a winning culture into it.
Latest MLB News
The San Diego Padres broke the Mets’ record for most consecutive games without a no hitter (8,020 regular season games) to begin a franchise.
Robert Murray of The Athletic wrote about Zach Davies, who has bounced back from an injury-riddled 2018 to become the Milwaukee Brewers’ best and most consistent starter.
Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn discussed Jose Abreu‘s future in the organization with MLB Network. He mentioned that “it’s certainly very likely that he’ll be here for the more enjoyable stages that lie ahead of us”
Odrisamer Despaigne opted out of his minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds according to Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors.
The Minnesota Twins optioned Trevor Hildenberger to Triple-A, selected the contract of Austin Adams and designated Addison Reed for release or assignment per Dustin Morse, who works in the Communications and Player Relations department for the Twins organization.
The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals will play a series in London in 2020 according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
Mike Petriello of MLB.com makes a case for Chris Davis being named to the All-Star team in 2019.
Latest NL East News
In addition to the Mets loss to the Nationals, the Atlanta Braves defeated the Cardinals 10-2 and the Philadelphia Phillies fell to the Brewers 11-3.
The Phillies (24-19) are still at the top of the NL East standings, followed by the Braves (23-21; 1.5 games back), Mets (20-22; 3.5 games back), Nationals (18-25; 6.0 games back) and Marlins (10-31; 13.0 games back), respectively.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports wrote a piece on Phillies starter Zach Eflin who has overcome childhood tragedy through faith and family support.
Following Thursday’s game, Davey Martinez said that Anibal Sanchez has a hamstring strain, will have a MRI on Friday and will likely end up on the injured list thereafter.
Latest on MMO/MMN
Brian Greenzang broke down Wilmer Font‘s start from Wednesday.
Samantha Brown likewise broke down Zack Wheeler‘s start from Thursday.
Rich Coutinho posed the question of whether the Mets should be worried about Robinson Cano or not.
Matt Musico analyzed the production the Mets are getting out of Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo so far in 2019.
Jacob Resnick wrote a piece on Colin Holderman who has performed well so far in his return from Tommy John surgery.
This Day in Mets History
1939: Dick Smith, who played 66 games across the 1963-1964 seasons for the Mets, was born.
1973: Future Mets player and manager Bobby Valentine suffered a multiple compound leg fracture after getting his spikes caught in an outfield chain link fence at Anaheim Stadium. The injury was considered career-altering for the 23-year-old who broke into MLB as a top prospect at the age of 19.
1985: Valentine received his first managerial gig with the Texas Rangers after they fired skipper Doug Rader. Valentine went 581-605 with no postseason appearances in eight seasons with the Rangers before becoming manager of the Mets in 1996.
